Christy Ramey

Simpson County Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences Education

Simpson County Homemaker Newsletter Cooperative Extension Service

Simpson County

300 N Main St

Franklin, KY 42134

(270) 586-4484

Fax: (270) 586-4788

http://simpson.ca.uky.edu

May/June 2018

Earth Day 2018 Special thanks to all those who volunteered in our booth for the SOKY Earth Day Festival! It was a beautiful day to celebrate the earth! There was a lot of interest in our Green Cleaning recipes and the upcycling

clothing and home décor. Those who volunteered and contributed to the booth included: Nell Jordan, Jo Giddens and Pat Markell (Round Pond); Brenda Wright and Nadia Zumbro (North Simpson); and Marie Pitts, Betty Ruth Ditmore, Jewell Burgett, Betty Sanford and Nancy Hudson (Franklin). According to Marie, the

Franklin Homemakers Relay for Life team collected $200 for cancer research.

Fitness Beginnings: Exploring little-known benefits to exercise

Source: Natalie Jones, UK physical activity program coordinator

At one time or another, we have all heard that exercise has benefits. Some of the most common benefits we tend to hear about are how exercise can help lower your risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, but the benefits only start there.

It may sound funny that exercise can save you money, but a study published in The Journal of the American Heart Association shows that it does. Study participants who engaged in moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes a day for five days a week had significantly lower health care costs compared to those who did not. Those who had heart disease and regularly exercised lowered their health care costs by $2,500 a year compared to heart patients who exercised little to none.

Exercise can also boost your brain. Numerous studies of aerobic exercise show that it helps protect your memory and helps fight off cognitive decline as you age.

It may also help you live longer. In addition to lowering your risk for chronic diseases that could shorten your lifespan, exercise lowers mortality rates from all causes of death. It also helps slow the aging process.

Maybe you have taken a walk to calm down or relax from a particularly stressful situation. There is a reason for that. The benefits of moving makes people feel happier, according to research. Physical activity can also help lessen symptoms of depression, reduce stress and lower anxiety.

Now that you are ready to take in the benefits of exercising, remember adults need 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week. Children need at least an hour every day. If it has been a while since you worked out or if you have certain health conditions, consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. You may want to start slow. Any movement is better than none. You can also split up your exercise up throughout the day, such as three, 10-minute segments, to get the amount of exercise you need.

For more information on the benefits of exercise, contact the Simpson County Extension Office.

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

FPI’s annual health fair was held on April 19th from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00

p.m. It was International themed, so Christy wore a Ti Chi garment on loan from the Chinese Institute.

Christy prepared samples and did food demos. Everyone got a taste of Pineapple Power Bites and Cherry

Sherbet. Recipes are available at the Extension Office.

KEHA-Here we come. Simpson County Homemakers will be well represented at the KEHA State meeting in Louisville next week. Your President, Marie Pitts, and Vice-President and Area Management and Safety chairperson, Jewell

Burgett, will be our voting delegates. The Area Cultural Arts Chairperson, Nell Jordan, will take the lead on our area responsibility of cultural arts on Monday at 12:30 p.m. Betsy Manship, from the Round Pond Homemakers, will also be attending. We will leave on Sunday afternoon and return on Wednesday. We

should have some great information and stories to share upon our return.

Get Active Simpson Challenge The 2018 Get Active Simpson Challenge is now history and we had some great numbers to show for our

efforts. In addition, we were able to give out over $200 in prizes for participation.

The Results:

1st—Round Pond with 260 miles per member

2nd—Franklin with 139 miles per member

3rd—Better Beginners with 135 miles per member

4th—Rockin’ Grannies with 125 miles per member

5th—Youth Action Team with 36.5 miles per member

Most Active Member for each team:

Round Pond—Betsy Manship

Franklin—Michelle Guess

Better Beginners—Caren Gibson

Rockin’ Grannies—Jonell Rice

Youth Action Team—Kathy Thweat

Emily Emberton, our new SNAP-Ed assistant, drew names for the door prizes. We had enough prizes to give

five per team plus the most active member from each team. If you have not picked up your prize, it is at the

Extension Office. Winners include: Betty Ditmore, Alice Bailey, Betsy Manship, Kathy Thweat, Jonelle Rice,

Michelle Guess, Jo Giddens, Marilyn High, Donna Avis, Lorraine Connoyer, Loyal Gann, Betty Sanford, Ann

Adams, Janet Johnson, Sharon Taylor-Carrillo, Nell Jordan, Pat Markell, Sue Jordan, Mary Baxter, Marie Pitts

and Caren Gibson plus four members of her Better Beginners team.

Total for all teams for the 5-week period was 6,717 physical activity miles. Great job everyone! Special

thanks to the team captains who called, texted, or e-mailed their numbers each week. Don’t stop now, keep

going and moving!

Leader Training—The History of Handkerchiefs Yours truly will be sharing the History of Handkerchiefs on June 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the Simpson County Extension Office. I will bring with me, not only hankies, but also interesting ideas for how to display and use

them in your décor. Get them out of the drawer and share with others. You are invited to bring your older handkerchiefs to share with the group. They may be men or women’s handkerchiefs.

Logan County Homemaker Invitation Mark your calendars for June 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We have been invited to be a part of a Homemaker Exchange Trip to Russellville. The Logan County Homemakers will host us at the Logan County

Extension Office. The theme is “Garden Party”. Lunch, entertainment, and activities will be provided. We will leave the Simpson County Extension Office at 10:15 a.m. Simpson County Homemakers will host the Logan County Homemakers in the fall in Franklin.

Triple Berry Crisp Cooking Spray 1/2 cup flour 1 3/4 cup fresh blackberries 1/2 cup oats

1 3/4 cups fresh blueberries 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 3/4 cup fresh strawberries 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 3 tablespoons white sugar 1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-by-8 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Wash berries. Do not let berries soak in water. Hull strawberries by removing the stems and green tops. Place blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle berries with white sugar and stir.

Set aside. In a separate, large bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Pour berry mixture into baking pan. Sprinkle crumbly mixture over the berries. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Yield: 12, 1/2 cup servings Nutritional Analysis: 160 calories, 6 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 27 carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 19 g sugars, 2 g protein.

Dates to Remember: May 6-9—KEHA State Meeting

May 10—Fundraiser for Relay for Life at the Dairy Queen. See more information in this newsletter.

May 17—Simpson County Homemaker Council meeting 10:00 a.m. at the Extension Office

May 22—Primary Election in Simpson County. Get out and vote!

June 1—Leader Lesson Training at 10:00 a.m. The History of Handkerchiefs at the Simpson County

Extension Office

June 12—Logan County Homemaker Exchange Trip, 11:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m. at the Logan County

Extension Office

June 16—Relay for Life Annual Event, 5:00 –11:00 p.m. at FSHS Football Field

July 24—Trip to the WKU Museum. Leaving the Extension Office at 9:00 a.m.

Fair booklets will be available around the first week of June. The exhibit hall is July 17.

Caregiver Appreciation Goes a Long Way It is not uncommon for spouses to become caregivers for

their partners. This role is often met with many rewards, but

it is also associated with stress as it can be emotionally and

physical draining to witness pain, suffering and decline.

Recent research has found that the time caregivers spend

actively caring for someone they love can actually improve

a caregiver’s physical and mental well-being, but only if

they feel that their help has made a difference and if the help

is recognized and acknowledged by their partner.

The benefits of helping

Helping someone improves their life, as well as your

own, including enhanced health and longevity.

Helping someone contributes to personal happiness, a

better mood and increased self-esteem.

Helping someone can reduce stress.

Helping someone gives your brain a boost, helping you

feel satisfied, helping you feel good about yourself and

increasing your overall well-being.

Helping someone provides you with a sense of purpose.

In general, feeling appreciated gives people a natural lift. But there may be instances when a

loved one is not able to say thank you or show just how much your hard work, love and

devotion is appreciated. Do not allow the disease or disability or the toxicity of any negative

emotions to devalue who you are or what you do. You must remember and highlight in your

mind how the positive consequences of your help increase your partner’s well-being.

Source: Family Caregiver Health Bulletin, May 2018

Written by: Amy F. Kostelic, Ph.D. Edited by: Connee Wheeler Designed by: Rusty Manseau Stock images: 123RF.com

REFERENCES: • Gambini, B. (2017). Study finds the burdens of spousal caregiving alleviated by appreciation. Retrieved March

13, 2018 from http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2017/08/033. html?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_

name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= • Holmes, L. (2014). 6 ways being nice to others is actually good for you. Retrieved

March 13, 2018 from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/10/ facts-about-being-nice_n_5791778.html